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Stephen King is a horror institution. Born in Portland, Maine in 1947 he has gone on to produce many a journey into the macabre including novels, short stories, screenplays and ultimately, big screen movies. The issue around SK is as to whether he's lost the knack of keeping readers glued to the pages of his latest written work. Having read "Everything's Eventual" I'd decided that he couldn't any more. However, being the forgiving soul that I am, I thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and read the 2002 offering "From A Buick 8".
King quite rightly suggests that short story writing is a lost art. Recounting a method made famous by the 19th century monoliths HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, the flexible King penned a lame offering of ring-fenced affairs in the shape of "Everything's Eventual" that meant his return to the more traditional stronghold of novel writing was met with some relief (well, by me at least).
This story is set in Pennsylvania. Centring on a police barracks in Statler, the plot revolves around the mysterious contents of Shed B. The book opens with the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of state trooper, Curt Wilcox. One minute he's doing his job, the next he's run over by the county drunk, Bradley Roach. The death of his father sends Ned Wilcox into a psychological tail spin. At a stage in his life where is he deliberating over what to in terms of a future career, the demise of Curtis senior leaves him confused and vulnerable.
By way of compensation, Ned starts to hang around the police barracks, befriending the different officers on duty at different times. In an effort
to come to terms with what's happened, he finds himself talking about his father's past which happens to coincide with the secret surrounding one of the police sheds.
It seems that within Shed B is an old Buick. Not just an ordinary Buick, this one is in prime condition with "....that distinctive fifties Buick grille, which looked to me like the mouth of a chrome crocodile. Whitewall tires, Fenderskirts in the back, yow, baby, we used to say, too cool for school." (to quote Tony Schoondist)
What transpires over a period of time is that the old Buick is more than just a car. In a series of atmospheric recounting, Ned comes to discover the strange events surrounding both the initial finding of the vehicle and the subsequently bizarre incidents that follow the trademark build up of static electricity and bright white light that are precursors to an increasingly alarming chain of events slowly uncovering a sinister link with another dimension.
Stephen King has reached into his vast imagination again to bring what appears to be a cross between the short story "Low men in yellow coats" (from the book "Hearts in Atlantis") and "Christine". Whilst "Hearts in Atlantis" is a series of short stories with a connection to the US conflict in Vietnam, the actual short story mentioned above is the high point of the collection featuring a boy's encounter with a man running from strange people from another dimension. "Christine" is a more obvious parallel drawing on a classic car that has a mind of it's own, albeit the Buick in question has a more static role than the fender bending star of "Christine".
The strength of the tale lies in King's attention to detail. What is unusual is that the setting differs from the usual one based in Maine. The reason for this is revealed in the notes at the end and provide an interesting insight into the origins of the story. Returning from a trip to Florida, King stopped at a gas station in Pennsylvania. It was one of those with a pump attendant so whilst the car was attended to, he went to the rest rooms. Having done his business, he went outside and noticed a steep bank leading to a stream at the bottom. Curious as to what was down there, he slipped and nearly found out first hand. So it was that the "what if?" scenario came into play with Stephen Kind pondering what would happen if a strange man complete with overcoat (see shady characters from "Hearts in Atlantis"), stopped his old Buick at a gas station, went to the rest room and simply never came out, thus leaving the car he arrived in to the vagaries of any potential new owners. This provides the catalyst for the story and also King's desire to set it in Pennsylvania.
Attention to detail is immaculate with several drafts of the story amended to take into account more accurate background provided by actual state troopers based in the county. There are a number of meanderings that are included to dramatise what the State troopers do for a living whilst saluting their efforts and hard work.
As ever, the characterisations are strong. We've come to expect a carefully crafted pen picture of the main characters and here again, King doesn't disappoint. The developing relationship between trooper Sandy Dearborn and Ned Wilcox is carefully choreographed throughout the main tale whilst the other characters including Tony Schoondist, Shirley Pasternack and the Swede Arky Arkanian (surely based on Latka from the TV series "Taxi") are all prime examples of King building an image that readers can empathise with further compounded by the development of a personal history of varying degrees that serves to give imaginary flesh and bone to the character you are reading about.
Stephen King is at the opposite end of the writing spectrum to writers like James Patterson. Whereas Patterson will include short, sharp chapters, Stephen King goes into meticulous detail around every nuance of a plot. This can be boring at times. There is no doubt that Mr King is a brilliant writer and this is reflected in his revered status in the writing world. However, there is more than a suggestion that he has become more convoluted with age and here again is another example of a tale that could be told with a quicker pace aimed at entertaining rather than attaining literary perfection. You have to hand it to King that he is always willing to try something different. A recent foray into E-novels proved inconclusive but within this story, King tells the tale from several perspectives and flits between the past and the present. This is intended to give the story a kind of campfire feel to it and he probably succeeds without confusing the reader. Personally, I wouldn't get too excited about this approach and prefer the first person myself.
All in all, I still feel the jury is out on Stephen King. I find myself questioning whether to buy any more of his books but, I suspect die-hard fans will disagree and buy the book in droves. No doubt there will be a film to follow soon too. This isn't a bad read but simply more a deserving case for the hordes of SK fans only.
I bought this paperback copy at Tesco for £3.73. If you want to get it any cheaper than you can always have a scoot around online.
Thanks for reading
Marandina
ISBN 0-340-77070-8
*Incidently, the movie "Hearts in Atlantis" is worth a watch if quite a gentle affair starring Anthony Hopkins.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
In Stephen King'sFrom a Buick 8, a group of Pennsylvania State Troopers find, and keep ... more
secret, the Buick 8, a "car" that is a portal between our world and some world far more horrid. Animals and occasionally people disappear around the Buick 8 and ever...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Stephen King's From a Buick 8, a group of Pennsylvania State Troopers find, and keep ... more
secret, the Buick 8, a "car" that is a portal between our world and some world far more horrid. Animals and occasionally people disappear around the Buick 8 and eve...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Stephen King'sFrom a Buick 8, a group of Pennsylvania State Troopers find, and keep ... more
secret, the Buick 8, a "car" that is a portal between our world and some world far more horrid. Animals and occasionally people disappear around the Buick 8 and ever...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Stephen King's From a Buick 8, a group of Pennsylvania State Troopers find, and keep ... more
secret, the Buick 8, a "car" that is a portal between our world and some world far more horrid. Animals and occasionally people disappear around the Buick 8 and eve...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Loosely based on a true story, written after stephen king's car accident, some very nice styles and enthrawling twists! Disadvantages: A killer car hrmmm... could this be Christine no.2?
exceptional by (1%):
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